It almost impossible to get paraglider pilot Tatyana Noskova on the ground. It only remains to plunge together with the sportswoman into her already native element. Tanya, wait for me!
photo from archive of Tatyana Noskova
One of fine days, paraglider pilots fly not very far from Ryshkovo aerodrome near Kursk. It is not that simple to talk to instructor Tatyana Noskova on the ground: she usually spends no more than ten minutes down while doing lines, spreading the paraglider and preparing for a new flight. "Would you like to see the city from a bird's eye view?" she offers. "Then get on-board!"
Altitude 770 Metres, Flight OK!
There are tandem paragliders for first-timers. From the passenger harness one can watch and gradually learn how to control the flight. The main thing is to trust the pilot. We put on helmets and a parachute harness – a large 5-kilo backpack contains an emergency parachute. Tatyana habitually helps to fasten buckles.
It is a strict rule to take off and land upwind. A textile wind sock or "the pants leg" indicates the wind direction and speed. Our paraglider will be taken up to the sky with the help of a towing car. The preparations have been complete, the tow line has been pulled and we are about to take off. "Now run!" Noskova commands. It hardly takes us several seconds to lift us off the ground...
photo by Kristina Ukolova
You experience truly strong emotions when you are high enough to see the views for miles and miles around. Colourful canopies of other paragliders glide calmly rustling in the sky and the air is as if saturated with the sun. Nothing ties us to the ground now – the tow line has been disconnected as soon as we are at a sufficient altitude.
– How safe is this?
– A novice must go through training prior to single flights. Any sport, especially an extreme one, requires prudence. The tandem paragliding is maximally safe. If a customer wants adrenaline feelings I can let control the canopy. Here you are, take the steering lines – brake controls! To turn to the right, pull the one that is in the right hand.
– What altitude did you fly?
– Paragliders go up to the lower edge of clouds. It is a height of 1,500–2,500 metres. My record is 3,800 metres. Just for comparison, now we fly at an altitude of 770 metres above the ground.
– How long can the flight last?
– Since the time of flight was over 3 days in pursuit of a new record, nobody has tried to break the result, though it is realistic. While the sun is shining, it is possible to fly in thermals formed due to the unevenly heated earth surface or when the wind is blowing if it is a dynamic flight. My own record is on the order of five hours. By the way, soon it's time to land! Don't bend your knees, we'll have to run a bit after the touch-down.
photo by Kristina Ukolova
We Will Fly till the End!
The professional paragliding sport is expensive enough even if some sportsmen have to be not very demanding for their equipment. Most people may afford only a second-hand paraglider. "The sportsmen abroad replace canopies every 2-3 years," Tatyana says. But here such things sometimes may happen: "Oh, a hole! Okay, then. No big deal, I will continue to fly" or "Oops, the line is frayed! No problem. We will fly till the end!"
Nevertheless, the Russian united team has a lot of victories. Tatyana participated in championships in Italy, Spain and Brazil. Recently, she came back from Romania. The competitions include several disciplines – accuracy of landing, aerobatics and cross-country flights. The last stage includes a flight along the route that is given to the pilots right before the start; route navigation and monitoring are based on GPS data.
Tatyana Noskova confesses that she flies not for the sake of adrenaline but for the sensation of flight, which matters most. "It's unspeakable what you feel when flying through the clouds," she says smiling. "It is wet and not very comfortable inside a cloud but from top they look like plates turned upside down. The sun rays penetrate them just like in children's drawings!"
Tatyana got interested in this sport when she, an eight-year-old, came across an article in a magazine. When she was 16 the girl saw a person on a paraglider for the first time: "I felt delight – flying!" I chased him all day long until he finally gave in. I was harnessed to the paraglider, was given some "lines", was instructed to run this way, to steer that way... I was totally confused! I landed safely in a hundred of meters. The only thing I remember was the feeling of freedom and harmony with the sky. One year later my parents bought me a paraglider though it was worth of their annual salary. They must have decided that it wasn't a child's whim and that paragliding might become an important part of my life. I, in my turn, understood that there was life on the ground and there was life in the air."
